This one will be a bit heavier of a post but I wanted to take a moment and highlight something unusual that's happening fairly regularly on Steemit and especially within the #kr community. As you may know from posts like by this one by @clayop and this by @gavvet, the Korean community has really sprouted into a robust and active sub-group of Steemit. This obviously means a bit more money is flowing between active members and as a result, some users on Steemit are trying to take advantage of this growth.
One (in my opinion very distasteful) way this is being done is with the senseless use of translating apps. Posts are written in english and plugged into Google Translate and have a #kr tag slapped on, even though nothing of the content is relevant to anything related to Korea or Korean culture.
- This and all following images are taken from Imgur and are examples of the same "lost in translation" phenomenon with the Chinese language.
I'M IN NO WAY AGAINST the use of Google Translate. I use it myself to verify certain words, both on Steemit and for work, and many Korean members use it to tailor their english responses to posts and reach out to and support english content producers. I think it can be used as a wonderful tool and really allows people of widely different backgrounds to meet in the middle. But what is unsettling is many of the mindless translations are done with absolutely no intention of truly engaging the Korean-centric community. Many KR members even comment on these posts early on, encouraging KR-related content even though all the Korean is done mechanically. These comments are almost never responded to.
These types of posts are harmful in two ways. First, they motivate KR members to be more skeptical and defensive. There is less incentive to support new users if there is a suspicion that they're gaming the system.
Second, it's seen as mildly-to-highly offensive, that individuals are only willing to very superficially “engage” with a community because they see an economic benefit.
See how silly these signs seem? Mis-translation is a two-way street and it sounds just as ridiculous when ported to a foreign tongue.
I'm not going to single anyone out. If perchance the people practicing in this way do see this post, I highly encourage you to really determine why you're trying to make this bridge.
Because to be honest, Google translations between English-Korean are some of the most blatantly weird translations one can identify.
We do not say “안녕 모두!” for “Hello all!” no matter how many apps tell you so. Writing it in Korean this way makes it sound like “Hello every!”
Are you sincerely interested in involving yourself if a “foreign” community? I support you 100% and here are a few ways/ideas for posts that can really engage you with another ethnic social group.
1- Language Learning
Are you trying to learn the language? Tell us about your process, experiences, goals, and challenges.
2- Cultural Immersion
Are you interested in a specific part of a culture's history or society? Start a discussion! Show us what you're interested in or what you've experienced.
3- Just be yourself without the translated clip-ons.
It's great to sprinkle in a new foreign word or two, that would actually be helpful for us to learn both ways. Much more important is people in a community getting to know you as a person, not how well you use a feature on Bing.
These are just some of the many ways to communicate your willingness to be involved in a different cultural circle. You language doesn't have to be perfect, your societal awareness can be incomplete. Hell, keep using a translating app! Just be willing to discuss and share, not hide behind a technological output.
Steemit is About Trust
Forcing a language artificially without a willingness to discuss, improve, and overall engage is not a way to nurture trust.
Again, I encourage ALL of you to mix and mingle as much as you can on this platform. That's the very reason I started my HanSpot podcast series, to culturally translate the uniqueness of a country's society one word at a time. I've admittedly learned so much about Korea through this platform from the almost daily comments of @sochul, @dubi, @woo7739, and many others. It has motivated me to push my Korean language ability and commit more to the community.
We have so much to learn from our fellow Steemians across the globe. Cultural barriers be damned. But don't expect companions when you slap them across the face with a translated stick.
and check out my design collective @hitheryon
Anyway, very interested to know your thoughts. And remember, 날따라와~ ^^...ㅎ(This is another example as it DOES NOT MEAN “Follow me!” It means more “Do what I do.”)
!